Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 288: Chapter 288

"His Highness will not be pleased when he finds out about this," he continued.

Circe bristled. The words sounded uncomfortably close to a threat. freēwebnovel.com

"I will not be long," she replied, forcing her tone to remain light. "I simply forgot something of mine inside."

It was the best lie she could manage, though her body betrayed her. Anxiety made her hands tremble, her grip tightening instinctively around the hilt of her sheathed sword.

The footman clearly did not believe her. His gaze flicked briefly to the weapon in her hand before returning to her face. Still, as Ragnar’s wife, he could not openly accuse her of lying.

"Then allow me to accompany you," he said instead.

"Who will watch the carriage if you come with me?" she countered.

He did not seem swayed.

"I am sure it will be fine, Your Highness," he replied smoothly. "After all, we will not be gone long."

He used her own words against her.

Circe narrowed her eyes at him, torn between irritation and reluctant approval. She did not know whether to feel pleased that he was loyal and took Ragnar’s orders so seriously, or irritated by it.

In the end, she nodded, acquiescing and allowing him to follow as she pretended to search for the mysterious item she had supposedly forgotten.

They passed numerous guards as they moved through the palace but none paid them any mind. They walked for quite some time, heading in the direction of the banquet hall, the very place Ragnar had gone when he left her.

Then Circe froze when voices drifted toward them from somewhere ahead. One of them was unmistakably familiar.

She turned back to the footman trailing behind her. "You can wait here," she said quietly. "I believe I hear His Highness speaking with someone."

The footman must have heard it too. He hesitated only briefly before nodding, apparently satisfied by this.

That was why he did not stop her when she continued walking forward.

And how she unwittingly stumbled upon Ragnar and Irah’s clandestine interaction.

Now Circe’s eyes widened as Ragnar’s legs closed the distance between them in long, purposeful strides. He seized her arm, a touch more forcefully than he should, and began dragging her away, away from Irah, who still was groaning on her knees.

Circe allowed him to pull her along, too startled and unable to do much else in his iron-like grip. Anger radiated off him in waves and she could not tell whether it was directed at her for being there, or at Irah for what she had said when she believed they were alone.

They passed the waiting footman without pause. Ragnar did not care whether the man followed or not. He did not say a word as he hauled Circe back to the carriage and climbed inside after her. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The footman hurried to his position at the front, snapping the reins sharply as he urged the horses forward. Moments later, the carriage lurched into motion, rolling swiftly away from the palace grounds.

They sat on opposite sides of the carriage. Ragnar remained silent for the entirety of the ride, his expression hidden behind an impenetrable wall of his own making. He had withdrawn completely, retreating into himself, and with how closed off he seemed, Circe had no idea how to broach the subject of what she had witnessed earlier.

The carriage eventually came to a stop in front of his house—a large, magnificent structure surrounded by sprawling acres of land. Ragnar exited without a word.

Circe followed a moment later, trailing close behind as he strode into the house. She kept pace with him up the grand staircase and through the halls leading to their bedchambers.

This house was far more gaudy and ostentatious than their manor in Amris. Gold accents adorned nearly every surface, and the décor was unapologetically extravagant, perfectly suited to the lavish tastes of the capital’s nobility and their obsession with appearances.

But the house lacked the quiet charm and understated beauty of their manor—the type Circe had grown accustomed to while living with Ragnar in Amris.

She whirled on him the moment they were safely away from any possible listening ears as the bedroom door closed behind them. Ragnar, however, did not turn to face her. He stood near the window, his broad shoulders rigid, shadows pooling faintly at his feet as though responding to his mood.

"Ragnar," she said, his name leaving her lips tentatively.

She had seen him angry before but that anger had rarely been directed at her. And as she watched him now, memories surged unbidden. The way his shadows had violently slammed Irah against the wall, pinning her there with brutal force. With how he reacted, Circe knew that there was far more to the story than what she had overheard.

"Ragnar, what happened—"

"Why didn’t you stay in the carriage like I told you to?" he demanded sharply, cutting her off before she could finish. He still faced away from her, unable to meet her gaze.

Circe faltered. She blinked, fingers curling into the fabric of her skirts.

"Because I thought the queen—" She paused, swallowing thickly. "You were gone for so long, and I thought she had done something horrible to you."

"That is not a good enough excuse." His tone was deadly calm now, far more frightening than if he had raised his voice. "There were people in chain collars, Circe. What if something had happened to you?"

He finally turned partway, just enough for her to catch a glimpse of the side of his face.

"I was armed," she shot back, forcing her voice to remain steady. "And I wasn’t alone."

But it was like he wasn’t listening to her at all.

"If you are going to berate me, at least look at me while you do it."

The hurt she had been trying so desperately to suppress crept into her voice. She hated this side of him, hated how closed off he had become since they left the palace, how the walls he built around himself left no room for her to reach him.

She wanted to know what had caused this sudden shift in him, what had made him withdraw so completely. More than anything, she wanted to understand more about what he and Irah were discussing when she walked in and why that woman still seemed to have such a strong hold over him.